Mosaic Memory

Below is the poem entitled Mosaic Memory which was written by poet
David
Smalling. Please feel free to comment on this poem. However, please remember, PoetrySoup is a place of encouragement and growth.

Mosaic Memory

Frightend children under the baobab
Of elders discourse playing
At the deep edge of rites
Of passages
With no Atlantic dream.
There is a beauty here
Before the other world began
Forgetting its origin
And taste
Of white milk in black breast
Beautifully caressing
The tongue
Outside the jaws of greed.
The time of pyramids
Lolling
On the golden sands
Full with the jewels of history
Civilizations gone
And dead sphinx to come
To Alexandria dreaming
Far from the distant
Wonders of Timbuctu.
And after all that gain
Suddenly a flood
Of nothingness
Carrying totems
Of laughed animism
On children's head
Like weed.
Stale rum sizzling
In the heat
Of deception
Crackle lies
The missionary and prelates of doom
Smile when the boom
Behind us burst
Crankling chains
Move to the shackle of the feet
The heart coffled
To the suddeness of defeat
Stared at the deception
That could not win
Without the foul
Practices bred in smoke filled bars
Of cold desolate
places making a wave.
We come
From banks of river
Surety to insurance companies
For new ships
That carry us promisary notes
Of golds to cotton and cane
Replacing the earth hidden
Treasures
In a mother's bowels
We come
Dying
To change the mosaic to come
Into a place
Where you know may know
I am
The father of the race.

Post Comments

And I my friend, am amazed at the depth of talent it takes to write such a powerful poem as this. A journey of pain and hardship, memory and knowledge flowing from your core, so well penned. You are an amazing poet. I wish I could write like this. So excellent. Love, Shar

Ahh, a bit of history it does seem; within a profoundly felt nutshell of couse; unto to the true horrors, suffering and plights, of of great nations children, stolen from their properous, enriched and wonderful land! Led into a place of suffering, death, opression and sorrow, etc.! Longing for their of home of lost heritage; while encnslaved by greed, heartlessness and ignorance, of a not so long ago of time! Excellent write of heart my friend! Love to You and Yours, John!:)

There are not enough adjectives for this outstanding write, David!! It is just incredible. In the last stanza, line six do you want to say "of gods to cotton and cane" ?? or leave it "golds" ???? I guess the promisary notes carries the golds but they surely worshiped cotton and cane as if it were god and then played god in determining who was human. Love the last line .... AMEN!! Hope to see this entered in a contest!!

This is a very good piece of poetry.. I thoroughly enjoyed your language in the piece....the fifth stanza starting with stale rum is awesome..this is just well a written piece of art...thanks for the comments.